Professionalism, multicultural preparation, and pedagogical practice: A comparative study of pre-service teachers’ experiences in Cameroon and Indonesia

This article examines how teacher education programmes in Cameroon and Indonesia prepare pre-service teachers for the teaching profession and how their experiences compare across two postcolonial and culturally diverse contexts. Addressing a gap in comparative teacher-education research, the study explores pre-service teachers’ perceptions of professionalism, multicultural preparation, pedagogical practice, societal perceptions of teaching and programme-related challenges. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 pre-service teachers and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that preparedness is shaped through different institutional pathways. Cameroonian pre-service teachers associated preparedness primarily with academic progression and upgrading of qualifications, whereas Indonesian participants emphasised certification, competency-based preparation and structured professional pathways. Across both contexts, participants highlighted the importance of continuous professional development, professional recognition and pedagogical competence, while also reporting theory–practice gaps, infrastructural constraints and policy-related uncertainties. This article provides comparative insights into how contexts, policies and programmes shape equitable teacher preparedness.